Resilient lamp socket mounting



Nov. 16, 1954 F. A. COLE RESILIENT LAMP SOCKET MOUNTING Filed April 10 1950 INVENTOR. FREDERICK A. Con

4 7' Tom/EV IBY United States, Patent RESILIENT LAMP SOCKET MOUNTING Frederick A. Cole, Detroit, Mich. Application April 10, 1950, Serial No. 154,930 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-126) This invention relates to strain relief and socket mounting assemblies and has particular reference to a novel and useful construction which is cheaper to manufacture and easier to assemble than devices now commonly employed for this purpose. While there are many applications for assemblies of this kind, there is not now available so far as I have been able to determine an entirely satisfactory device of this kind which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is easy to install, and which will function as a strain relief for a current conductor and prevent turning of the socket to which the conductor is attached.

The device herein disclosed effectively and economically meets these requirements.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved strain relief and socket mounting which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is easy to install, and which will effectively serve as a strain relief and mounting for the socket and prevent rotation of the socket in the mounting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved strain relief.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved socket mounting which will prevent rotation of the socket in its mounting and will function as a seal between the socket and its mounting.

Another object is to provide a new and improved strain relief and/or socket mounting which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claim and may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, of which there is one sheet, which by way of illustration shows preferred embodiments of the invention and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying the principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a strain relief and socket mounting embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the socket with the lamp bulb and reflector removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the assembly taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a wall or bracket in which the socket is mounted;

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the method of assembling the socket in the hole in the wall or bracket in which it is mounted;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but illustrating the socket mounted in the wall or bracket;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a form of the invention which functions as a strain relief;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of part of the device illustrated in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a face elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. 9.

The portion of the wall 20 illustrated in Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 7 may comprise a part of a mounting bracket and/or reflector 21 for the bulb 22 which is removably secured in the socket 24. The wall 20 as illustrated is provided with a keyhole shaped opening 26 which includes the 2,694,798 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 offset or irregular portion 28. The assembly further comprises a plurality of insulation covered current conductors 30 and 32, the ends of which are embedded in a hollow body 34 formed of insulating material, such for example as a molded rubber body.

The body 34 at one end is provided with a recess which forms a socket, and a metal socket member 36 is secured in the socket in the body. The socket member 36 comprises a cup-shaped receptacle provided with threads for receiving the threaded end of an electric element, such as a lamp bulb 22, and the member 36 may be secured in the body 34 by molding the body 34 therearound.

The current conductor 30 is electrically connected to the member 36. The member 36 has a central opening in its base in which there is seated a bushing 38 of electrical insulating material. A pin 40 is secured in the bushing 38 and electrically connected to the current conductor 32, and forms a second terminal of the socket 24.

The body 34, in addition to being molded around the socket member 36, is molded around the ends of the current conductors 30 and 32 and thereby united to the insulation covering of such conductors so that any tension on the conductors 30 and 32 will be transmitted to the body 34, rather than to the connections between the conductors 30 and 32 and the socket member 36.

The body member 34 forms a collar of electrically non-conducting, resilient material to which the conductors 30 and 32 are united as described. When assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the collar or body 34 is arranged in the opening 26. The collar is provided with spaced shoulders 42 and 44 which define a channel 46 therebetween for receiving the edge 48 of the wall defining the opening 26. As shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, the shoulder 44 is provided with a gap or break therein indicated at 50. This permits one edge 52 of the shoulder 44 to be inserted into the opening 26 through the irregular portion 28 thereof, as shown in Fig. 6, and such shoulder to be threaded into the opening 26 by rotating the socket 24 three hundred sixty degrees and until the parts assume the position as illustrated in Fig. 7, when the edge 48 of the opening will be disposed in the channel 46.

The shoulder 42 is provided with an integral portion 54 which projects through the irregular portion 28 and cooperates with the edges thereof to prevent rotation of the socket 24 relative to the wall 20.

The body 34 is formed of a resilient, yieldable rubber or rubber-like material so that the portions thereof may be deflected somewhat in order to permit the threading of the shoulder 44 into the opening 26. The opening 26 and the shoulders 42 and 44 may be of such size that when the socket is mounted in the wall 20 as illustrated in Fig. 7, the shoulders 42 and 44 will cooperate with the edges 48 of the opening 26 to form a seal between the wall 20 and the socket 24. The opening 60 in the body 34 may be tapered slightly so that the outer rim 62 of the body 34 will be expanded a slight amount when the lamp bulb is secured in the socket 24, thereby forming a seal between the lamp bulb and the body 34. This may be of particular utility in some applications.

With the parts arranged as illustrated in Fig. 7, the lamp bulb which is to be secured in the socket 24 may be secured therein or removed therefrom without thereby twisting or rotating the socket 24. In other words, the interlocking arrangement between the socket 24 and the opening 26 will prevent undesired or unintentional rotation of the socket 24 which otherwise would twist the current conductors 30 and 32.

The socket 24 may be removed from the opening by exerting on the body 34 an axial and downward force sulficient to cause the shoulder 44 to yield and be distorted sufficiently to permit removal of the socket 24 from the opening.

The body 34 is molded to the insulation covering of the conductors 30 and 32 and not only functions to take the strain of any tension on the conductors 30 and 32, but also forms a seal therewith. Since the body 34 is mounted on the wall 20, any tension on the current conductors 30 and 32 will be transmitted by the body 34 to the wall 20, rather than to the connections between the current conductors 30 and 32 and the socket member 36.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 a modification of the device is illustrated which functions merely as a strain relief. As there illustrated, a sleeve or collar 134 is molded or otherwise secured around and to'current conductors 130 and 132 and is provided with spaced annular shoulders 142 and 144 which define a channel or groove 146 therebetween. The shoulder 144 is provided with a gap or break 150. The collar 134 is adapted to be arranged in an opening in a wall 120, the opening in such wall being round, or it may be of a shape similar to that illustrated in Fig. 5. However, the collar 134 may have a relatively loos'e fit in the opening so that the collar is free to turn in the opening, although the collar 134 may be made to have aloose' or tight fit in the opening in the wall 120. The break 150 in the shoulder 144 permits the collar 134 to be threaded into the opening in the wall 120 in the same manner as that illustrated in connection with the previous modification, the shoulders 142 and 1 44 cooperating with the edge of the wall 120 defining the opening totake any strain on the current conductors 130 and 132.

While I have illustrated and described preferred ernbodiments of my invention, it is understood that these are capable of modification and I therefore do not wish tobe limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claim.

I claim:

A socket adapted to be secured to a wall having a circular 'opening'therein and a slot intersecting said opening, said socket'comprising a hollow body of electrically non-conducting, resilient, deformable material having a circular section adapted to be fitted in said circular opening, said section being provided with a pair of spaced, peripherally extending, opposed shoulders defining therebetween a peripherally extending channel adapted to rehe ou r shoulder having a gap therein so as to P m one of the edges of the shoulder defining the gap to be inserted through said slot from one side of said wall and said one shoulder to be threaded through said slot and disposed on the other side of said wall upon subsequent rotation of said body, said shoulders being engageable with and overlapping opposite sides of said wall throughout their peripheral extent so as to resist axial displacement of said body from said opening, said gap having a width only slightly greater than the width of said slot, the other shoulder having an integral projection thereon extending axially therefrom across said channel so as to interrupt said channel, said projection being disposed between and spaced from the edges of said one shoulder defining said gap and extending radially outwardly from the bottom of said channel to project into and substantially fill said slot and to cooperate with the edges of said slot to prevent rotation between said body and wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,415,632 Gurke May 9,192 1,723,471 Dunharn Aug. 6, 1929 1,848,812 Wiley Mar. 8, 1932 1,989,529 Ready Jan. 29, 1935 2,012,979 Von Holtz Sept. 3, 1935 2,077,686 Gober Apr. 20, 1937 2,115,495 Maplelsden Apr. 26, 1938 2,152,468 De Reamer Mar. 28, 1939 2,460,636 Holloway Feb. 1, 1949 2,620,375 Valites Dec; 2, 1952 

